Four see Bertelsmann China's huge database abandoned as a shoe?

By the end of this month, the Bertelsmann Book Club's Shanghai stores will all stop operating.　　From 13 ago to foreign publishing giant to China "forerunner" posture High-profile entry, to today's gloomy exit, as one of the world's four major media giants Bertelsmann, its book retail business once again become a multinational giant in China fail example. In fact, such fail are not the first.　　Multinational companies in the Chinese consumer and market to bring a new concept, but also encountered a time of "acclimatized".　　Bertelsmann's gloomy fail, to China's book retail market, is not "waved a wave sleeve, do not take a cloud" so simple.　　What did Bertelsmann leave behind? On the evening of July 10 8 o'clock, in the Shanghai "Cultural Street" Fuzhou Road with more than one bookstore, the clerk at the Bertelsmann store quietly pulled down the shutter door. The next day, the store will be closed, which has received a number of well-known writers to sell, interviews, "The Bertelsmann Blue sofa" has been to the seat empty.　　Yesterday, the former Bertelsmann China call center operator told reporters: Shanghai a total of 9 stores, are now closed. July 3, Bertelsmann related parties announced the termination of its China Book Club operation, namely Shanghai Bertelsmann Culture Industrial Co., Ltd. in China all business.　　The reason for the termination, the Bertelsmann media statement said, "affected by the rapid changes in the market environment", "can not become a long-term continuous rapid development and large-scale business." Bertelsmann entered the Chinese market in 1995.　　Media reports said that the then chief executive Apotheker and his wife came to Shanghai, wearing a tie every day, across the Fuzhou roadside market, to Shanghai Science and technology books company's narrow top floor attic to work. In the past 13 years, how many Chinese people receive their own customized catalogue for the first time in the mail box; Over the past 13 years, how many Chinese have remembered Bertelsmann, which eventually became known as the 1.5 million member of this huge book club; 13 years ago, how many Chinese people chasing this alternative book marketing model, chasing "Bertelsmann"　　These four words are a fashion symbol.　　Since July 8, however, its most unique "book club" in China has stalled and stopped accepting all new orders. In a media statement, Bethasman stressed: "The book club is only a small part of the entire business segment of Bertelsmann China, a decision that will never affect Bertelsmann's long-term commitment to China." After the strategic adjustment, we shift the investment focus to the long-term sustainable development and high growth of the business, and will be the original book Club business development investment into Bertelsmann in China's other business and investment plans. China is one of the three major markets for the future growth of Bertelsmann's global business strategy. "As to where the investment focus will turn, the executive director at Bertelsmann China headquarters declined to answer on the basis of" the inconvenience of specific business issues, "but again he stressed that the group of Book club businesses accounted for only a small portion of Bertelsmann's total income in China. "What we can do is to make our countrymen know all about Bertelsmann as much as possible.Business, deepen our understanding. "1.5 million member information on how to deal with the North American Book Club business has been sold. Bertelsmann July 11 issued a statement announcing that it sold to a private investment company in the United States.　　The statement did not mention the details of the deal, saying only that "all transactions will be completed within this quarter". And China's book club is only terminated operations, its 1.5 million members of the precious database how to deal with, whether to sell, no one knows.　　Reporter telephone interview Bertelsmann Corporate Communications department staff, received an e-mail reply, but avoid the answer, the reporter again sent an e-mail cross-examine, as of press before no reply. Many people think that 1.5 million members are a huge wealth of information.　　In the information is the wealth of today: ——— Bertelsmann will not be approved by the members of the private sale of the 1.5 million members of the personal information? "I was a junior high school when the initiation, there are mail the recommended book, there are a variety of exquisite small gifts, more importantly, I have developed a good habit of reading." Hope that the future of such a book club can continue to do, I like this way of reading. "The 5-year high school girl, Xiao Li, has such a wish before a store in Daxing Street in the Bay of Bertelsmann," he said. It seems that Bertelsmann's book club form has long been in the hearts of the popular.　　When it leaves, who will fill this market gap?　　Will ——— Bertelsmann sell the database to peers or other would-be entrants? Of course, in the database marketing is hot, there is no lack of cold water on the sound. "How much data is available in this 1.5 million database?" Bertelsmann positioning of the youth readers, as long as a few years, will not be attracted, no longer to implement the purchase behavior. So how can these 1.5 million people continue to buy?　　An insider told reporters.　　Is it a new "club" that is willing to offer for new buying features that the group may have, or is it just a matter of time?　　Will ——— Bertelsmann abandon the huge database? In any case, we are looking forward to the answer to the 1.5 million membership data. Hopefully, as the official Bertelsmann media statement said, "Bertelsmann is committed to the fair and impartial discharge of its obligations to all Book club members."　　"Selling books doesn't really make money?"　　In a sense, Bertelsmann book Retailing's China lost its way, it seems, because of the wrong line. As a more than 170-year history, Bertelsmann, known as one of the world's four big media giants, has a series of capital that China's peers envy: successful global qualifications, sophisticated capital operations, rich publishing experience, more than 40 million loyal users worldwide, and more than $15 billion trillion in revenue each year ...　　However, Bertelsmann in China with the popular European book Friends will model A shot and red, successfully contested to 1.5 million members, they did not continue to go ahead. In 2002, an, the German president who advocated the group's listing and a new takeover merger, began adjusting, shutting down Bertelsmann Global online, the company's first E-commerce site in China bol into stagnation。　　More crucially, Bertelsmann eventually chose to copy the French-run direct shop in China. 2003, Bertelsmann acquired the Beijing 21st Century Jinxiu book Chain Co., Ltd. 40% shares, and as a joint venture in the country to promote the "New life fashion" concept of small chain bookstores.　　The shift in the focus of business has changed the role of Bertelsmann in China, and Bertelsmann is inevitably "reduced to" one of the many traditional book distribution retailers in the country. However, the traditional book retail industry is a sunrise industry or sunset Industries, which in itself is a difficult problem. Only in Shanghai, in recent years there have been the first emperor, thinking music out, and then similar to the "left bank" of the private small bookstore surrounding the "can't carry". Even the Shanghai bookstore, which has continued to grow in sales for ten consecutive years, has been slowing in the past two years. Shanghai Bookstore Planning Department Jiangli said, the formal operation of the bookshop profit is very thin, twenty or thirty Yuan book, in fact, the final net profit margin can reach Single-digit number is good. "As for large retail bookstores, the cost of property is higher, there are more than 10,000 light bulbs in Shanghai book Town, and the electricity bill is not a small amount per day." "The meager profit of the book retail, the high rent of the real bookstore, plus the business tax, labor, etc., the only advantage of the chain bookstore is the lower discount through the unified purchase."　　But into the 2008, the book industry recession seems to be further intensified, so far, not only the market has not a real bestseller, not even the rise of any new reading trends, in recent years, popular history, travel, hundreds of other themes, but also in the lower.　　Perhaps, under the weight of a few, "book retailer" Bertelsmann (China) is not going to go on?　　Where is the road to success? Bertelsmann book retailing China's defeat, in fact, the book industry in China will not have too much impact, after all, its turnover is not indisputable fact, more, may lie in social public opinion and public attention, after all, Lenovo has been the success of Bertelsmann, the glorious life, always make people feeling. But, looking at the sad figure of Bertelsmann, always reminds us of what ——— since December 13, 1978, Coca-Cola and Cofco company reached an agreement to return to China, 30 years, multinational enterprises can be based in China, playing "Chinese Rubik's Cube" is not much. Especially when the emerging internet giants into China, we can easily find: Google and Baidu, ebay and Taobao, excellence and when, but also like Lycos more meters away ...　　There are virtually no transnational internet giants in the Chinese internet market, from Sina to Baidu, and almost all kinds of websites are dominated by local websites, despite the complex capital relationships behind them. When the standard electronic network invades the world, when "the world is flat" take the world-wide bestseller list champion of various languages, few people mention the famous saying of GE former President Welch ——— "only global business, no global enterprise". But now,There seems to be more and more cases of validation of this statement. Once again, regional culture seems to be an example of anti-globalization. Ignoring all this seems to be the deeper reason behind the Chinese defeat in the Bertelsmann book retailing industry. "In marketing, there is a 4PS theory, product (Products), price (prices), place (location) and promotion (promotional) combined, this is the enterprise can achieve the basic operating method of success."　　Li Weihui, a professor at the Shanghai Normal University Business School, said that, with a little analysis, the Bertelsmann book retailing industry does not seem to be enough in China's four. "Bertelsmann enters when Chinese book marketing is backward, it was refreshing at the time, but the product hasn't changed much since then, and secondly it offers products mainly through mail-order, member centers and door-to-door service in the country's major cities, but this is clearly not the most popular and fashionable way for Chinese consumers to sell; There is no consumer interest at all, and the price of books has never been broken, which is a big mishap in the environment where book prices are now generally discounted.　　"Li Weihui said. "Foreign monks are good chanting", perhaps more refers to a new feeling, but when the fresh honeymoon in the past, how to let listeners continue to listen faithfully? I am afraid that this is to test the internal strength, to see whether it can make the audience's heart, and to do this, mutual understanding is essential.　　If you are still confident in your past successes, it will be a matter of time before you get ousted. More simply, this is to do as the Romans do, is the localization of enterprises. Professor Li Weihui said: "For example, KFC in China not only has chicken leg burger for sale, but also sold a representative of China's traditional food culture fried dough sticks." This is KFC to promote the product innovation as the foundation, accelerate the localization of the strategic attempt; and Coca-Cola, in the Hundred Years of construction has 30 times to change the theme of sales, use hundreds of advertising slogans, but always follow a principle, that is, '　　World language ' communicates with consumers of different cultural backgrounds, cleverly embedding in the local culture of consumer countries ... ' Where is the way to success? Hopefully, we can come up with something and realize something from Bertelsmann.